What is Muscle Sparing Anterior Hip Replacement?
Muscle sparing anterior hip replacement is a minimally invasive hip surgery to replace the hip joint without cutting through any muscles or tendons as compared to traditional hip replacement that involves cutting major muscles to access the hip joint.
Benefits of Muscle Sparing Anterior Hip Replacement
The advantages of muscle sparing hip replacement include:
- Smaller incisions
- Shorter operative time
- Minimal blood loss
- Short hospital stays
- Less postoperative pain
- Minimal soft-tissue trauma
- Less scarring
- Quicker recovery
- Early mobilization
- Less postoperative restrictions
- Quicker return to normal activities
- Lower risk of dislocation
Preparation for Muscle Sparing Anterior Hip Replacement
Your doctor will give you specific instructions. In general, you should:
- Inform your doctor of your medical history and any regular medications as some of them may need to be temporarily stopped.
- Undergo routine blood work and other tests prescribed by your doctor.
- Follow the pre-surgery dietary restrictions.
Muscle Sparing Anterior Hip Replacement Procedure
Muscle sparing anterior hip replacement surgery is performed under general anesthesia or regional anesthesia. You will lie down on your back, on a special operating table that enables your surgeon to perform the surgery from the front of the hip. Your surgeon may use fluoroscopic imaging during the surgery to ensure the accuracy of component positioning and to minimize leg length inequality.
Your surgeon will make an incision, about 4 inches long on the front of the hip. The muscles are pushed aside to gain access to the joint and perform the replacement. Next, the femur is separated from the acetabular socket. The acetabular surface is prepared using a special instrument called a reamer. The acetabular component is cemented or fixed with screws into the socket. Then a liner made up of plastic, metal, or ceramic is placed inside the acetabular component.
The femoral head that is worn out is cut off and the femur is prepared using special instruments so that the new metal component fits the bone properly. Then, the new femoral component is inserted into the femur either by a press fit or by using special bone cement. The femoral head component made of ceramic or metal is then placed on the femoral stem.
Once the artificial components are fixed in place, the instruments are withdrawn, and incisions are closed with sutures and covered with a sterile dressing.
Recovery after Muscle Sparing Anterior Hip Replacement
With the muscle sparing anterior hip replacement, your doctor will give you specific instructions to be followed at home for a faster recovery. These include:
- Take medications as prescribed to relieve pain and prevent infection.
- Participate in physical therapy to restore hip function and strength.
- Eat a healthy diet and do not smoke to facilitate healing and promote a faster recovery.
- Contact your doctor if you observe increasing swelling or redness in the operated area.
Risks and Complications of Muscle Sparing Anterior Hip Replacement
Muscle sparing anterior hip replacement surgery is a safe procedure; however, there are minimal risks that include:
- Infection
- Bleeding
- Delayed healing
- Failure of implants
